Gerrit norton



(No Model.)

G. NORTON. 003mm MA CHINE.

atented 00 0.2

Inventor Witness E5 rrjf N 01" [2711 m: annals PEKERS 00.. PHDTO-UTNQ. WASHINGTON n. c.

f UNrrao STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERRIT NORTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MARTHA MATI-LDA NORTON, oFsA'ME PLACE.

CORKING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,021, dated October 2, 1894.

Application filed May 29, 1893. Serial No. 475,850. (No model.)

zen of the United States of America, residing in the city, county, and State of New York,

, projects into the bottle.

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oorking-Machines, of which the following is a specification. Q The machine herein described inserts corks in bottles. It is operated by means of ahand lever. The cork is placed-in a cork-pressing tube which is conical or flaring at its upper end and projects into the neck of the bottle when the latter is held in place for corking. The cork is driven bya plunger through the conical portion by which it is compressed into the lower portion which is straight and When in position the plunger and cork come substantially to rest while a further downward movement of the lever withdraws the tube and leaves the cork to expand and fill the mouth of the bottle.

My improvements relate chiefly to the mechanism by which this is accomplished. They are such that the work of compressing the cork and effecting its transfer from the tube to the bottle is derived from as much of the stroke of the lever as possible. Furthermore the construction is such that the purchase of the lever increases as the cork becomes compressed, and thus equalizes the power which is expended on the lever. Other improvements have also been made as hereinafter claimed.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings my machine is drawn to appear one eighth size in the customary lithographic reproduction.

Figure 1 is a side view of my machine, partly in section through the cork-pressing tube and the frame on the line w. The position of the movable parts at the completionthreaded into the block 6. These parts compose the plunger. A'hand lever 7 is hinged to the block. By turning the spindle in the threaded block its height with respect to the rest of the mechanism is adjusted. A togglelink 8 connects the fulcrum of the hand lever with the frame; It is hinged to theframe close to the plunger and preferably below the lever. During the first part of the stroke this link remains nearly stationary in Y position, and merely vibrates sufficiently to adjust the curved movement which the lever would otherwise take,'to the straight movement of the plunger, but as the lever moves through the lower half of its=downward stroke the link swings toward the plunger and the latter'movesmuch slower with a given movement of the lever but with correspondingly.

more power as the compression of the cork increases. As the hand lever nears the end of its stroke a contact 9 in a mortise in the toggle-link engages with a contact 10 on the tube carrying mechanism and withdraws the tube from the bottle thuscompleting the operation of corking.

The cork-pressing tube 11 which is in line with the plunger has a vertical movement of about one inch. It is supported in a ring 12. Two links 13 and 14 occupy parallel and nearly horizontal positions one above the other and connect the ring with the frame and serve to guide it through the short distance it is required to move in substantially a vertical line. This construction is adopted instead of an ordinary sliding joint because less machine work is required in making it and because hinge joints do not become exposed when in operation, as a sliding joint would, to the corroding action of the juices which spatter from the bottles when they are being rapidly handled and corked.

In order to further protect the working parts and also the operator from spattering, the tube and its supporting ring are so fashioned that an annular space is left between them on the under side. When any liquid is thrown out of the bottle by the sudden entrance of the cork it is caughtin the annular space.

During the operation of corking, the bottle is held by hand against the under side of a bracket having a central opening through which the tube projects into the bottle. This tube is necessarily light and frailsinceitlies between the compressed cork and the bottle. Any attempt to force against it'the mouth of a bottle not properly centered, as would frequently be liable in rapid'and careless work ing, would therefore soon batter or break the tube and render it useless. To prevent this a centering ring 16 is made a part of the bracket. This ring extends as low or a little' lower than the tube and so guides the neck of the bottle that itcannot, contact witl1.the tube. The lever on reaching'the bottom of its stroke contacts with the frameat-L17 and. 18 simultaneously. These contacts are sosituated that the connections between the lever and the spindle and between itand the toggle-link lie between them. i This constructionenables the contacts to fully arrestthe motion of the lever and relievesthe other moving parts of all strainincident to the sud-'- den stoppage of the lover. The leveron its return is stopped against the single contact 19. One of the members at each of these contacts is preferably protected :with. rubber, leather or other yielding and elastic material. I

W'ithout limiting myselfto the precise details shown, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a corkingmachine,asupportingframe, a plunger, a lever mechanism consisting of a lever and a toggle-link to which said leveris hinged, one of the elements of said lever mech: anism being hinged to the frame close to'the plungerand below the lever and the other hinged to the plunger, in combination with a vertically guided cork-pressing mechanism, so that the depression of the leverwillbring all of said hinges into substantially the same vertical plane, and when they are so situated the cork-pressing mechanism will be lifted, substantially as described.

2..Inacorkingmachine,asupportingframe, a plunger, a lever hingedthereto, and atoggle-link to whichsaid lever is hinged,.said toggle-link being hinged to the frame close to the plunger, in combination with a vertically. guided cork-pressing mechanism, so that the depression of the lever will bringall of said hinges into substantially the same verticalplane, and when they are so situated the corkpressing mechanism will be lifted, substantially as described.

3. In a corking machine, asupporting frame, a plunger, a lever hinged thereto and a toggle-link to which said lever is hinged, said tog-gledink being hinged to the frame close to the plunger and below the lever, in combination with a verticallyguided cork-pressing mechanism, so that the depression of the lever will bring all of said hinges into substantially the same vertical plane, and when they are so situated the cork-pressing mechanism will be lifted, substantially as described.

4.. The combination with asupporting frame and a vertically guided cork-pressing mechanism of a plunger, a lever attached thereto, atoggle-link to which said lever is f ulcrumed, and contacting parts between said togglelinkand cork-pressing mechanism by which the latter islifte'd, substantially as described. 5.-In a corking machine the combination with a supporting frame of-a plunger, a cork pressing tube, and two parallel links aconnected therewith oneabove the other and hinged to the frame, and means for driving the plunger and lifting; the cork-pressing tube, substantially as described.

6. The combination with asupportingframe, of a plunger, a lever attached thereto, a toggle-link to which said lever is fulcrumed, a cork-pressing tube,.two parallel links connected therewith and hinged to the frame, and a contact betweenone of said parallel links and the toggle-link, substantially as described.

7. In a corking machine, a cork-pressing tube having a tubular extension and its sup porting ring, in combination with a bracket. below said cork-pressing tube, and an annua lar space between said tube and bracket, substantially as described.

8. In a corking machine, a cork-pressing tube having a tubular extension in combination with a bracket below said cork-pressing tube, and a centering ring attached thereto, substantially as described.

9. In a corking machine, the combination with a supporting frame of a plunger, a lever attached thereto, a link to which said lever is fulcrumed, and two contacts between said-frame and lever when the latter is depressed, the attachments between said lever and plunger and between said lever and link lying between the said contacts, substantially as described.

Signed by me, in New York city, this 27th day of May, 1893.

i GERRIT NORTON.

In presence of THOMAS NORTON, FRANCIS L. HATCH. 

